<p>
[quote]
Yale University so far has received 4,820 applications to its early-action program this year, up 36% from last year. The University of Chicago has received 4,349 applications, up 42% from last year. Georgetown University says it has received 5,925 applications, an increase of 30% from last year.</p>
<p>The University of Notre Dame received 4,247 early-action applications this year, up 12% from last year. Boston College says it is expecting about 7,000 early-action applicants this year, up 16% from last year. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is expecting that once applications have been counted, it will see a 10% increase from 3,493 early applications last year.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>Not all schools that offer nonbinding early-action programs and compete with Harvard and Princeton for applicants saw large increases in applications. Stanford University's numbers were relatively stable. So far this year, the school has received 4,504 applications, compared with 4,574 for all of last year. Richard Shaw, dean of undergraduate admission and financial aid, expects the final tally to be close to last year's.</p>
<p>This article has already been posted and discussed on another thread - Stanford and Yale SCEA. However, it looks like many other schools have been affected by Harvard, Princeton and UVA's decision to drop their early programs.</p>
<p>Posting a snippet before the original gets locked in the WSJ archives.</p>
<p>"The elimination of early admissions at Harvard University and Princeton University -- effective this year -- is helping to fuel a rise in applications at other elite schools that offer nonbinding "early action" programs. The trend will make it more difficult for top colleges to predict how many of the students they admit will actually enroll, admissions officials say.</p>
<p>Yale University so far has received 4,820 applications to its early-action program this year, up 36% from last year. The University of Chicago has received 4,349 applications, up 42% from last year. Georgetown University says it has received 5,925 applications, an increase of 30% from last year.</p>
<p>The University of Notre Dame received 4,247 early-action applications this year, up 12% from last year. Boston College says it is expecting about 7,000 early-action applicants this year, up 16% from last year. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is expecting that once applications have been counted, it will see a 10% increase from 3,493 early applications last year."</p>
<p>U Chicago had extreme difficulty getting their EA decisions out in a timely manner last year. This probably will compound that problem, unless they have increased the number of personnel in the admissions office. </p>
<p>And for what? Will the 42% increase in early applications translate into any more top students enrolling? (Perhaps the rise in apps is associated with the supposed large increase in financial aid funds this year, rather than the shifting EA/ED picture--in which case they might ultimately pick up some of these early students.)</p>
<p>IMO, application numbers bound to go up every year.. those who applied Harvard EA, Princeton ED (had there been one) would have applied to Chicago... early action anyway..</p>
<p>I'm a bit confused why this is big news. If your top school doesnt have EA then you will still apply EA somewhere, right? I think it's more of the intrinsic purpose of EA. It's different from the perspective of the college vs the student. It's supposed to show that you have interest in the school (college pt of view). For students, it's "i have a better chance to get in/find out early at a school".</p>
<p>It's big news because EA schools do not usually give students the same advantage that ED or SCEA do. The fact that these EA pools have all risen means that the applicant pool is probably much stronger academically this year, making it more difficult to get in EA. I know students who have been advised to change their EA applications to RD to give them time to straighten their application and to compete in a weaker pool.</p>
<p>"IMO, application numbers bound to go up every year.. those who applied Harvard EA, Princeton ED (had there been one) would have applied to Chicago... early action anyway.."</p>
<p>Accl: They could not have applied to Harvard SCEA (Single Choice) or Princeton ED and applied to Chicago EA at the same time.</p>